Old Friends, New Faces
by Corona 1
Summary: G1 sequel to Remembrance. A friend, thought to be lost, is about to come back into the lives of the Autobots and the humans. but how will they take to her, after believing her to be dead for so long?
1. Chapter 1

Old friends, new faces

Hey there, everyone. I know I should be working on WLTUD, but at the moment, I'm a little bit stuck. I was reading back through some of my stories the other day, and remembered that I'd left Remembrance with quite an open ending. So this is the sequel. Tell me what you think, please! I hope I can live up to your standards! This little plot bunny wouldn't leave me a lone, and I believe that it has potential for a multi-chapter fic. It starts out from Spike's point of view, and then the rest of the chapter is from the third person.

Disclaimer- If you refer to Remembrance, you'll see that I don't own Transformers, Doctor Who or any other related items. They belong to their respective companies; I have nothing to do with them! :(

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(Spike's journal entry)

Five months had passed since that day when The Professor had left our lives. Things were beginning to go back to normal. Only beginning to, mind you. The Decepticons had attacked a couple of times, clearly hoping that the Autobots would be too upset to fight back. They were very much mistaken. Many of them, in their current states, especially a few I think you can guess, had turned out to be quite a force to be reckoned with, causing the Decepticons to turn tail and run off to lick their wounds. It seemed to have cheered some of them up as I watched them. I still missed her. She had filled a space that we didn't even realise was empty until she came along. Wheeljack had cheered up slightly, and was now able to enter his laboratory, albeit not for very long. He had even started inventing again. Life was beginning to go back to normal. Of course we missed her, how could we not? But I realised that we had to move on, just like she told us to. I hadn't been back to the memorial for two months, deciding that it would be best that way. Until one day.

--

After everything that had happened, Spike had begun smiling again, much to the relief of everyone, especially his father. The Autobots had gained a new friend- Carly. While she wasn't the Professor, Spike found himself becoming close to her.

"Wow, she sounds like she was quite a person," Carly commented, after Spike told him their story.

"She was. She was amazing. In fact, we have a memorial for her in a small park not too far away from the city."

"You do? She must have meant a lot to you."

"Yeah, but…not as much as she did to Wheeljack. He's coming round, but he's still not completely healed." He bowed his head.

"He must have really loved her."

"Yeah. And I think she loved him, too." Spike sighed. "Tell you what, instead of telling you about it, why don't we take you to see it? I haven't been in a couple of months, so I think it would be great to go and see it again."

"Yeah, ok. I'd like that." Spike smiled.

"Ok. Let me just go and find Bumblebee." He got up and left. Carly smiled.

"Wow, I'm really looking forward to seeing this memorial. I'll bet it's absolutely spectacular!"

Only three minutes later, they were off in Bumblebee to see the memorial. It didn't take long, only a fifteen minute drive, to get to the park. Bumblebee opened his passenger and driver side doors, letting his passengers out before transforming. Once again, not many people were in the park.

"It's certainly not a popular park, is it?" Carly asked.

"Not really. I'm pretty glad of that. It means that it won't be vandalised or anything like that. C'mon, it's only round the corner. After you," he stretched his hand out to the side, allowing Carly to go past. Spike smiled to Bumblebee, who smiled back.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure, Bee." He sighed and followed the young woman round the corner.

"Believe me Carly, you're in for a big….surprise." his mouth fell open in shock.

"Is that it? I thought it would be more than just an empty platform and a plaque." Carly asked, somewhat let down.

"I-I…I don't believe this! Where is it?!" Bumblebee came over to them.

"This is weird. Where'd it go?" he asked. Spike ran over to the empty platform, hopping up onto it. He looked for signs of scratch marks, in case it had somehow been dragged off the stone foundation.

"But-but-but-but, it was here! It can't have just disappeared! It can't have!" Carly looked round the foundation, also. There was nothing to suggest that it had been dragged off the foundation, which meant that it had to have been lifted, or else vanished of its own accord.

"Didn't you say that the Professor said it was telepathic?" Carly asked. Spike nodded.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't do something like this! Not unless it had been programmed to!"

"You think it's been stolen?"

"No! It can't have been! It was a bloody phone booth! It couldn't have just vanished into thin air! Well, ok, it could but that's only if the Professor was in it!"

"Spike, calm down."

"Yeah, you're gonna give Blue a run for his money." Bumblebee added, smiling slightly.

"How can I be calm!? It's gone! It's just gone! No one could power it but the Professor! No one…" A sudden thought struck him. "What if… no, no no no no, c'mon Spike, think about it, will you? You saw her get shot! She can't be…"

"What Spike?" Bumblebee asked, putting his arm round the young man's shoulders.

"I was just thinking, the Professor and her race were the only ones who could power the TARDIS, and her race is dead. No one else could power it. No one at all. So, what if…what if I was wrong? What if she actually isn't dead? What if she somehow survived?"

"C'mon Spike. The Professor was an amazing person, but she couldn't have actually survived a shot at literally point blank from Megatron's Fusion Cannon! It's just, impossible!"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Bee. What are we going to do?"  
"I think we'd better tell the others," Carly replied. Spike looked up, clearly forgetting that she was there.

"Yeah, that would be an idea." Bumblebee transformed, ready to take them back to base.

"My my, that's quite an empty memorial, isn't it?" a voice said. Spike spun round, almost expecting to see a Decepticon. Instead, he saw a young woman with bright blonde hair and bright green eyes.

"Who're you?" he asked, defensively. How dare a stranger come over and tell him how empty the memorial was? He knew it was!

"Oh, I'm just a passer-by. Don't mind me." She had a strangely soothing voice which seemed to melt his anger before he even realised he was angry. With that, she walked on by. Carly walked over to him.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"I-I don't know. I've never seen her before. C'mon, let's get back to base." The got in Bumblebee and made their way back to the Arc.

"I said that we would meet again someday. Someday soon, I will return."

In the Arc…

"That's what I'm saying, Optimus Prime, it's just gone! Vanished!" Spike stated after telling the Autobots about their findings.

"It could be Decepticons," Red Alert suggested.

"I don't think so, Red. The Decepticons wouldn't know what to do with it. Besides, what use do they have for it?"

"That is a very good question, Hoist."

"Prime, I think I may know, if they have taken it that is."

"Go on, Wheeljack." The scientist sighed. He had taken the blow that the memorial to the Professor had been taken away, but for now, he seemed to cope well.

"Well, she…the Professor told me that at the heart of the TARDIS was the Time Vortex, the pathway that she travels in. it's a massive amount of energy, but it's dangerous. She told me that if it was absorbed, it would drive you insane with the fact that you'd be able to see the past, the present and the future, all rolled into one. That's what she sees. Or saw." Spike couldn't help but notice that the last two words were added with some amount of bitterness.

"Like I said- Decepticons! It's always the Decepticons!"

"Easy, Red. We don't know the facts."

"I still don't think that it is the Decepticons. There was no sign of it being physically pulled off the memorial, in anyway. It has, quite literally vanished!"

"Well, let's see. It's getting late now, so we'll figure out what to do tomorrow." The Autobots nodded and separated, either going to the rec room or to their own quarters. Spike bid goodnight to Wheeljack and left to go to his own room on the ship along with his father. Wheeljack sighed and, out of habit, made his way down to his laboratory. He only realised where he was the moment he got to the door.

"Ah, may as well. I haven't been in for sometime. C'mon, 'Jack. You've gotta get over this! She was an organic; you're a machine, Primus' sake!"

"Why should you let that stop you?" a voice asked from somewhere nearby. Ratchet stepped round the corner.

"Oh, hey Ratch. You startled me." The CMO smiled softly. "How are you keeping?" he asked.

"You know me, 'Jack. Keep myself in lost in my work so I don't have time to think about it."

"Ain't that a bad way of coping?" Wheeljack asked, raising an optic ridge. Ratchet laughed slightly.

"Maybe, but it seems to work for you." 'Jack's head fins lit up magenta in a blush. He slumped slightly. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have noticed, but this was Ratchet.

"C'mon, let's get you inside." The medic took hold of his arm, gently pulling him into the laboratory. Once they were comfortable, he pulled two cubes of high grade from his subspace pocket, handing one to the scientist.

"Thanks Ratch. Where would I be without ya?"

"Probably in a pile of scrap metal with the remains of your 'minor setbacks'," Ratchet replied. They laughed.

"Yeah, probably." They fell into silence for a while. Wheeljack jumped up suddenly.

"What is it?" Ratchet asked, jumping as well.

"I-I thought I heard something." The CMO looked around. There was nothing there.

"What do you think you heard?"

"I don't know. I'm probably going out of my mind, but I was sure that I heard the TARDIS's engines." The medic shook his head.

"Jack…"

"I know, I know. It's my grief. I'm hearing things that I want to be there." Ratchet closed his mouth and chuckled softly. _Trust Wheeljack to know exactly what I was going to say before I even said it_.

"Ok, Jack. I've got work to do. Try and get some recharge. And come and see me tomorrow morning, I'll check your audios. Ok? No arguments!" Wheeljack slumped.

"Fine. See you tomorrow morning then." Ratchet nodded and left the lab. The moment the door was shut, 'Jack jumped up and started searching the room. _I'm sure I heard it. I heard something, I know I did!_ He found nothing. "Oh look at yourself, Wheeljack! You're being as bad as Red Alert on one of his paranoid trips!" he sighed, remembering what the Professor would say in this situation.

"It helps to be careful sometimes, anyone can just walk in." Wheeljack whipped around, looking towards the area the voice came from. There was no sound, nothing moved. Shaking his head, he decided he was imagining things and retreated to his recharge berth.

At the other end of the room, a young woman clamped her hand down on her mouth. She hadn't meant for it to slip out. She waited until everything was quiet, waited for the unique sounds of a recharging mech before she acted. Slipping out of her hiding place, she clambered over long forgotten parts on to a work table, stopping only to put something down. And then she left, almost disappeared again into the corner.

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And there's chapter 1. Hope you like it! I'll be writing more soon, promise! And I'll be writing more on WLTUD, too. If anyone has any suggestions for said story, please feel free to let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi there. It's been ages since I started on this. Sorry I've taken so long. I've been suffering pretty bad writers block. That and I've been working on my other story, not to mention Uni work.

Anyway, on with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, or anything to do with Doctor Who. It belongs to Hasbro and the BBC, respectively.

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The morning, as usual was inactive. Nothing was happening. The fact that the Decepticons seemed to have quietened down didn't do anything to ease some of the mechs' anxiety. Spike was still confused over the fact that the TARDIS had disappeared. So lost in thought was he that he didn't notice Bumblebee approaching him, a puzzled look on his face.

"Hey Spike," Bumblebee greeted, causing Spike to start.

"Oh, hey Bumblebee. You startled me."

"Sorry, buddy. Didn't mean to." The minibot looked at something in his hand, his puzzled expression returning.

"What's the matter, 'Bee?" the human asked.

"I…well, I found this just this morning. I can't figure it out." He showed the human what looked to be a line on a piece of metal.

"You got one too, huh?" a voice asked behind them. It was Wheeljack.

"Yeah, did you?"

"Sure did. What do you make of it?" the scientist asked.

"I don't know. I don't think I've ever seen it before." The Lancia hummed thoughtfully.

"Hey guys, what've you got there?"

"Hey, you got one too?"

"Hey, Sunny, Sides. Yeah, I'm guessing you did."

"Yeah. We got one each." Spike looked at the carved into the metal. There was also what looked like the start of a circle on Sideswipe's. The metal itself was extremely familiar. But where had he seen it before? While they were consulting each other, they didn't notice the CMO approach them. Spike was the first to spot him.

"Hey Ratch. Don't tell me- you got one, too?" Ratchet nodded, looking at each of the metallic pieces. Spike studied them as well, and it was only then that he noticed that they were a different size and shape.

"Maybe…"

"Maybe what, Spike?" Bumblebee asked, breaking from the conversation.

"Maybe we have to put them together?" he suggested. The mechs looked at each other.

"Everybody, get to the med bay. I think Spike may be on to something."

--

It took them no time at all to figure out how to piece the metal parts together. The more they added, the more it seemed to make a little sense. The metal itself belonged to an object that seemed to have been destroyed by some outside energy force. The image seemed to be forming a hexagonal shape with a circle overlapping it. But there was a piece missing.

"Someone must have the final piece. Spike, did you get anything?" Ratchet asked as he and Wheeljack welded it together.

"Not that I noticed. And from the size of it, I would say that I would have spotted it."

"Well it has to be somewhere. Unless…"

"Unless it hasn't turned up yet," Wheeljack finished. Spike looked thoughtful.

"You know what I've noticed?"

"What's that, Spike?" the yellow minibot asked.

"We seem to be the only ones with this whatever-it-is. Not only that, but it's only been left to the ones who knew the Professor."

"Hey, yeah, you're right!" Sideswipe exclaimed.

"It seems to make sense. I mean, her ship has disappeared." Wheeljack seemed to tense slightly. Only Ratchet, with his acute senses, noticed.

"What's the matter Wheeljack?" he asked.

"I…er, nothing. Just forget it." He left the med bay, much to everyone's surprise. Spike sighed sheepishly.

"I think I may have struck a nerve."

"Don't worry about it, kid. I'll go and talk to him." Ratchet followed the scientist.

"Well, now what do we do?" Sideswipe asked.

"I say we find that missing piece and see just what this is," Bumblebee replied. The mechs and the human agreed.

"Wheeljack, what is the matter with you?" Ratchet asked, pushing the door to the laboratory closed behind him and standing with his hands on his hips.

"That's just it, Ratch. I don't know. I've just got this feeling. I swear I heard something last night, and just after you left, I…I kinda searched. But I heard someone." Ratchet sighed.

"Wheeljack…"

"Please, Ratchet. I know I'm still grieving, but I'm not in denial. I know that she's not here, but I just have a feeling that she's not actually gone. I don't know why, but that's the feeling that I've got." Ratchet sighed again, perching himself on one of the worktables. He didn't know what to say that would console his friend. He was adamant that he had heard something, and the medic knew Wheeljack better than many others. He knew that he wouldn't let go of this, not until he found something that either proved his theory. In fact, if he allowed himself to admit it, he didn't truly believe that the Professor was gone. Too many things were happening. What if 'Jack was right? What if she was still alive? If she was, surely she would be extremely injured. From what Spike had told them, her injuries would have been far too extensive for her to survive the blast. She wasn't a Transformer. But, in saying that, she wasn't human, either. He sighed again; he seemed to be doing that quite often as of late, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Perhaps there was some truth in the thought. They had only known her for a few months, but the impression that he got from her, as did many others, was that she was not the type of person to just give up. There was more to her than that.

The medic was about to break the silence when both his and the scientist's comlinks crackled to life.

: All Autobots report to the command centre at once: Optimus Prime's voice rang through. The two mechs looked at each other and quickly hurried out of the Laboratory.

"What's the problem, Prime?" Bumblebee asked once everyone was in the rec room. It was the largest area on the ship.

"Teletraan 1 has picked up Decepticon signals near a power station in South Carolina." Silence was broken by mumblings. Sky Fire stepped forward.

"Roll up all Autobots who are coming on this trip. Welcome aboard," he joked, transforming. Optimus looked around at his troops. He wasn't surprised to see the more rowdy Autobots were on board first. The Twins and Jazz especially were eager to; as they put it, pay the Decepticons back. As if the twice they had attacked wasn't enough? He sighed and shook his head. It didn't surprise him; at least it gave them a chance to work off their grief. He, Spike, Carly and Bumblebee were the last on board.

"Ok everyone, buckle up and hang on. The Sky Fire pest control service is on the way."

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And that's chapter 2. I know it's short, they will get longer.

And what's with the strange symbol? Why is the metal so familiar to Spike? And just who is that woman who pops up every now and then? You may have already guessed, but you'll have to wait before I let you know anymore. (insert evil laugh) Feel free to let me know what you think. As always, constructive criticism is welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey there everyone. Finally! Here's chapter 3!

Disclaimer: only my character belongs to me. Otherwise she wouldn't be my character. Everything else: the TARDIS, Time Lords and Ladies, etc belong to the BBC, and Transformers belong to Hasbro.

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The Autobots hadn't even touched down when they were fired upon. Spike and Carly had only just enough time to dive into cover. Spike had never seen the Autobots fight so fiercely, especially the Twins. Then again, they were the Twins.

"Decepticons, Scramble!" Megatron yelled, pointing towards the oncoming enemy. Carly tried to run to another area, but found that they were trapped.

"Spike, what are we going to do? We can't just stay here!" Spike looked around frantically. They were pinned down; they couldn't run anywhere without running the risk of being shot. Spike even wondered if any of the Autobots would even hear them shouting for help over the noise of the battle. This wasn't the first time Carly had been caught up in a battle between the two factions, but it certainly was more intense than last time.

"The Autobots are too far away. They're not going to be able to help us!" Spike exclaimed.

"Right you are, flesh bag!" The teenagers turned round in unison; coming face to face with one of the only Decepticons to be anywhere near their height- Rumble. Spike and Carly backed up, looking for a way out. Spike had had enough run-ins with the Cassette to know that he was a lot tougher than the other Decepticons gave him credit for. Somewhere nearby, they heard Soundwave giving his orders.

"Rumble: exterminate them."

"Right, Soundwave." He grinned at the humans. However, a large spare fence suddenly toppled upon him, taking the Casseticon by surprise and trapping him underneath it.

"Hey! Get this thing off of me!!" he wailed. The teenagers looked at each other in bemusement. A tall woman seemed to appear out of nowhere, grabbing both of them by the hands, yanking them from the area.

"Run!" she shouted, only just pushing them out of the way in time to save them from an explosion. The blue Cassette managed to find the leverage to at least pull his arm out, growling. He was pointing his gun at the stranger.

"You'll pay for that fleshy!" he cried. The woman ran, hauling the teens along by their hands. _She's a lot stronger than she looks _Spike thought, having to keep up with her in order to keep his arm in the joint. She suddenly pulled to a stop, pushing them behind her. What was she doing?

"Get inside, quick!" she ordered, pointing to a nearby building. She looked at them, her bright green eyes shining with fierce determination. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get in! Don't worry, I'll tell your friends where you are. Just go!" She pushed them forward, her tone of voice leaving no space for argument. Rumble had managed to get out from under the fence and was almost upon them, but she stayed where she was.

Spike slammed the door closed behind them, resting against it and panting.

"Are…are you alright, Carly?" he asked. The blonde haired teenager was hunched over, her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. She looked up and nodded.

"Who was that?" she asked finally.

"I don't know. But I hope she's alright." His brow furrowed. There was something very familiar about her. Who was she? Why did he feel like he knew her? Shaking his head, he rose from his leaning post and turned around. "Where are we?"

"It looks like we're in an abandoned part of the station. Just look at this junk!" Spike nodded.

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Outside, the battle was raging. It seemed to be a stalemate at the moment, both sides pinned down behind cover. Wheeljack was trapped with Ratchet, forced to stay where they were.

"We can't stay here, Ratch. We're like sitting ducks!"

"I know that, 'Jack! I can see!"

"And quite right too!" They looked around, searching for the voice. "Down here." Both Autobots glanced downwards at a young blonde haired woman.

"You shouldn't be here! It's too dangerous!" Ratchet barked over the noise of a nearby explosion.

"I know it is! Great, isn't it?" She shot them both a huge smile. With raised optic ridges, the CMO and the engineer looked at each other. When they looked back down, however, she'd disappeared. They looked at each, shocked. She was stood in front of them a moment ago. Where could she have gone?

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"There's got to be something in here that can help us. C'mon Spike, help me look!" Carly rifled through the rubbish, pulling pieces of metal away from the wall. There was a loud clang that caused her to stop, looking upwards.

"Erm, Spike?" He ran over to her. He gasped at what he saw.

"No way!"

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"We have them on the run, Autobots! Give them all you've got!" Prime didn't need to order them twice. They had practically thrown themselves into the battle.

"Decepticons! Grab the cubes and fall back! These Auto-fools don't know when to quit!"

Skywarp, Thundercracker and Starscream were the only ones to notice the problem with that order- the energon cubes were gone.

"What?!" Megatron looked over.

"Now what's the problem!?"

"The energon cubes! They're…they're gone!" The leader growled.

"Alright, Autobots. Where are they?" There was a whistle from somewhere nearby.

"Looking for these?" All optics turned to the source of the voice. It was a woman, leaning against a doorway, arms folded, an aura of confidence surrounding her. She pointed behind her. The cubes! They were there! The Autobots looked to each other. There was no way they'd be able to fire on the Decepticons while there was a human in the vicinity! And Megatron knew this well. Chuckling darkly he advanced on the woman, who bravely stood her ground.

"Thank you for showing me where you had hidden them, flesh creature. Now stand aside, if you know what's good for you." She didn't move. "I warm you, you are testing my patience."

"And you are testing mine, and I find myself to have a great deal of patience. Well, when the opportunity calls for it." Her eyes gleamed defiantly. Megatron growled and pointed his fusion cannon at her. She didn't even flinch.

"Move, flesh creature or you will become nothing more than a pile of ash at my feet!" She smirked. And then she started to laugh. "What is so funny!?"

"You couldn't kill me before, so what makes you think you can now!?" She stood from the wall and squared up to the silver tyrant. Her voice became low so only he could hear it. The Autobots and Decepticons stood, unable to hear what was being said. But whatever it was, it made him stumble backwards in shock and rage.

"YOU!!!" He levelled his fusion cannon with the woman, only for her to point something behind her.

"Ah ah ah, I would think very carefully about your next move, Megs. Because I just happen to know that the cubes are quite volatile when faced with the right amount of...coaxing." She smirked, though her eyes remained stormy. Megatron growled, wisely backing down.

"This isn't over, flesh creature! Mark my words, you will be begging for mercy before I am through with you."

"Oh I look forward to the challenge." Megatron sounded the retreat.

"Giving up so soon? You're losing your touch, _Mighty_ Megatron! Especially if you can lose to a human!"

"Shut up Starscream!" The Autobots stood in shock as their enemies disappeared into the sky. The woman smiled before realising something.

"Oh! By the Disciples of Light, I completely forgot!" With that, she ran, stopping momentarily to wave the Autobots to follow her. "You'll be looking for your friends shortly. This way! No, don't worry about the cubes; they won't be back for them yet. Besides, this won't take longer than a few moments!" Optimus broke the Autobots' silence.

"Who are you?"

"No time to explain. Trust me; it's a very long story, one that needs just a tad bit more time." Optimus nodded, turning to his men.

"Stay and guard the energon cubes. I'll be back momentarily with Spike and Carly." They nodded, still in shock at the woman and how she had made Megatron himself back down with only words.

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The teens were found and brought back, but the woman had once again disappeared. Spike seemed shaken. He was silent the whole way back.

"Spike, are you alright?" Bumblebee asked as once they got back to the base.

"I'm fine, Bumblebee. Just, I think...I don't know what I think." He scratched his head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I...when Carly and I were in that warehouse, we found something. Something I never thought I would see there. I mean, I know it was locked, so I can't be sure that it was it, but I'm pretty sure it was."

"Spike, you're not making any sense." The human hushed his voice so only his friend could hear.

"The TARDIS, Bumblebee. I think we found the TARDIS!" Bumblebee was shocked into silence.

"But that's impossible! I mean, she died! You saw her!" Spike shivered at the memory of that day.

"That's the thing though. I didn't _see_ her die. I only heard the shot and I assumed that she had been killed. But think. The other day, the TARDIS disappears. Earlier today, we find those weird symbols. And then, this woman shows up and helps us, and she isn't afraid of Megatron. Like you said, she was showing a courage that you had never seen before in a human."

"Well, aside from you, Sparkplug and Carly, of course."

"Well, yeah. And then Carly and I find an abandoned phone booth inside an abandoned warehouse? They're all pretty damn big coincidences."

"So what are you saying?"

"What I'm saying 'Bee, is that I think the Professor is still alive!"

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OMG! Finally! I came up with something! Sorry I took so long, but I really couldn't think on how to keep it going. I was about to delete it. I'm so glad I didn't.

Ok. I know it's short, but it seemed like a good place to leave it. So, the questions. Who was the woman who helped them today? What's with the symbols? And did Spike really see the TARDIS, or was it something he wanted to see? Well, I guess the only way to find out is by reading the next chapter, when I finally overcome writer's block and actually get it up.

Once again, sorry about the wait, guys. Hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Chapter 4

Right then, I think I may be getting back on top of things. Well, touch wood. (Touches the top of my head) OW! Splinters! Anyway, the mental block has been moved enough that a sufficient amount of the story can make its way through. So here goes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing! (Except the Professor)

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Wheeljack was pacing in his laboratory, lost in thought. That woman earlier today, there was something familiar about her. But what? Something he knew he had felt before. He stopped and growled, slamming his hand down on the table. The usually pacifistic engineer was slowly but surely losing it. He knew that he had heard something last night! He knew he had heard someone speaking! He knew it! He wasn't going crazy! He wasn't! He couldn't be. He slumped into a chair and rested his face in his hands.

"Oh Professor. If only you were here. You'd know what to say, what to do. You'd know how to make me feel better." He sighed and sat up. "Oh look at me, I'm talking to myself now." He sat forward, about to get up. That's when he saw it. At first, he thought it was nothing more than a piece of scrap, but upon closer inspection, he found that it was very familiar. Standing, he walked towards the small pile, picking it up. It had already been welded together in a crude cube shape, but one side was missing. There was evidence that it had once held circuitry, although it was very burnt out now. Parts had been obviously hammered down, though there were parts that had melted from extreme heat. It was very, very familiar. He activated his comlink.

"Ratchet, could you come to my laboratory for a moment? I have something to show you."

: I'm a bit busy, 'Jack. Unless you're injured, it'll have to wait: He sighed, ending the communication. Of course he was busy. It had been a pretty hectic battle today. There were injuries. Putting the item into subspace, he left the lab, heading to the Med Bay. Perhaps he could make himself useful and help out.

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Why had he come here? Spike hadn't been down here for months. Everything looked just the way it had before, all except for the patch in the centre. That was gone. He sighed, leaning against the wall. It felt strange in here, knowing that the TARDIS wasn't there. He glanced at the ground, willing the tears away. He looked up and frowned when something caught his eye. There something shrewdly buried under the sand and dust, something metallic. Walking over to it, he dropped to his knees and brushed the sand away. The same metal. The very same metal. He lifted it, squinting. There was something written on a clear patch, but he couldn't make it out, not in this light. Tucking it under his arm, he hurried to the Med bay.

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"Thanks for your help, 'Jack. They were only minors, but there were a lot of them." Ratchet wiped down the berth as Wheeljack put the instruments away. "So, what was it you wanted to show me?" Wheeljack was about to answer when Spike came in.

"Ratch, 'Jack, I think I've found the last piece!" He held it out in front of him. Sure enough, there it was- the final piece to the puzzle. Ratchet bent and took it from him, inspecting it.

"Sure looks like it, kid." Placing it on the berth, he pulled the rest if the metal out of his subspace pocket. With all the care and accuracy of a seasoned medic, he began welding it to the rest of the puzzle. Once he was finished, he smoothed down the lines. The puzzle was complete. A hexagon, with a circle overlapping it. Wheeljack pulled air in through his intakes in a gasp.

"What is it?"

"I...I don't believe it! That symbol! She inscribed it on our sonic wave disruptor! She wanted an emblem, and she said that she thought it was the best one. Something simple, something recognisable. This was her design, so I told her to pick it."

"So, you think this is part of the disruptor?" Spike asked. Wheeljack shook his head and pulled the rest of the ruined item from subspace.

"No, I think it's the _final_ part of the disruptor." He set it down on the berth next to it. Ratchet looked at the scientist. "I found it Ratch. Just now." Spike shook a little.

"Spike? What's the matter? You've gone very pale." The medic immediately ran a diagnostic check on the human. His heart rate had increased, as had the number of his respirations.

"Th-that day...I helped her put the instrument into her ship. Every single piece. And now it's here." Silence descended upon the med bay. Ratchet looked back at the burnt out item. He frowned and looked closer.

"There's something inscribed here, but I can't understand it. It's not a language I'm familiar with."

"Perhaps we should let the others know. Maybe they can help?"

"It might help, but I don't know." The CMO looked to his friend. "Get everyone who has received a piece of this, including Optimus. Get them to come to the med bay. Like Spike said, only those who knew the Professor, and I mean really knew her, know about this. I think only we are supposed to know." He nodded and left.

"What do you think, Ratchet?"

"I don't know, Spike. I just don't know."

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Within moments, the bay was filled with mumbling mechs. Carly had come along too. Ratchet had fixed the metal piece on to the rest of the device, the symbol pointing upwards. Optimus bent over, looking at the inscription.

"I'm sorry Ratchet, but I have never seen that language in my life. I don't understand it."

"Maybe we're not meant to?"

"Oh yeah Sides, of course. Someone just happened to inscribe something onto the side that no one is supposed to read." Sunstreaker placed his hands on his hips and cocked his superoptic ridge.

"Well I don't hear you coming up with anything, Sunshine." Sideswipe scared up to his brother.

"Watch it!" The yellow twin pushed him.

"You watch it!" he yelled, pushing back.

"Stop it, the both of you! This is no time for squabbling." The Twins bowed their heads and stopped their argument immediately. Spike looked at it carefully. Something was familiar about it, and he was sure that he could understand a few words. He couldn't concentrate on it, though. Their meanings kept fading and coming back, fading and coming back, fading and...

"Guys? Something's happening!" They turned. Carly looked at the writing too.

"What is it, Spike?"

"I can...I can read it! I understand it! But how?"

"What does it say?" Bumblebee glanced up at the human stood on the berth. Strange, he didn't remember Spike having a woman's voice, and it wasn't Carly's either.

"When you look to the skies, you see the stars. But it's what's beyond the stars, around the stars, on the stars and even in the stars that's the most interesting and exciting mystery of all."

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Yikes! I'm evil sometimes! Chapter four up! I'll apologise now, I know this story isn't my best. But it won't leave me alone.

Hope you're still enjoying it!


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